Feb. 16, 2007
Twenty miles. That is the approximate distance from Lake Mary High School to the University of Central Florida. There are many different roads to travel in order to cover the ground. One Golden Knight, however, took a route that was more adventurous than anyone could imagine.
After averaging over .400 at the plate in his first couple seasons at Lake Mary, Matt Horwath was on track to have a memorable senior year of high school. Spring break, though, altered those plans.
"We didn't have a tournament during spring break so we had an intra-squad game during a practice," recalled Horwath. "I said to coach `can I pitch an inning' because I was kind of bored and we were just going through some of the motions. He was like `get a hit in your next at-bat and I'll let you pitch an inning.' So I got a hit and I went out on the mound and got three outs. My coach then said `keep going until someone gets a hit off of you.' And that's when I felt my elbow snap and I've never had elbow pain before."
If only that was the end of the story. When Horwath ventured to LSU for his freshman season of college, it did not take long for him to return to the bench.
"The second injury happened at LSU," thought Horwath. "I started the first eight games as a freshman and then had some shoulder pain. My doctor said, `I don't think anything is wrong. We are going to go in, clean it up and you'll be ready for summer ball. You'll get a medical redshirt and it won't be a big deal.' But he went in and when I woke up (from surgery) they discovered I tore my labrum."
For Horwath, he then began to wonder if LSU was the right program to play for. While he was not sure where he wanted to go, he knew that his career would carry on elsewhere.
"LSU's first series in 2004 was actually here at UCF and I started all three games at shortstop," said Horwath. "After a few games I felt some soreness in my shoulder. Coach tried moving me over to second base and my shoulder was still killing me. They kind of pushed me to play and were saying that I had to play for the team to win. I didn't say no, but in warm-ups I couldn't throw across from shortstop to first base. So I kind of felt a little pressure to play hurt.
"That's when I decided I wanted to leave. I had been coming to camps here at UCF since I was eight years old so I knew the coaches, what kind of people they were and they wouldn't push me if I was sore."
The accounting major quickly shined for the Golden Knights, going .276 at the plate in 48 starts in 2005. He pounded out eight home runs and swiped 12 bases in the process. However, 2006 was not as favorable to Horwath, as he once again started to feel his body aching inside.
"Last year I had some more pain during the year and I went to the doctor and he said from the MRI that my labrum was completely torn," said Horwath.
Horwath's injury let him start just 36 games in all, 26 at second base. One has to wonder if all of the challenges he has faced during his career affects him mentally.
"That is the problem is that there is always a little doubt," admitted Horwath. "When you wake up you wonder if your arm is going to feel alright. I've had some struggles with that in the last year or two, especially with the last surgery and whether or not I wanted to go through with it. I thought originally that I wasn't going to be able to play this year. I was going to petition to the NCAA for a medical hardship, so I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen. And then once I found out that it was only two small tears in my labrum and some other stuff doctors had to clean up, I knew I was going to be playing this year."
Horwath was able to start the 2007 campaign as UCF's designated hitter, but slowly will see some time in the field defensively. Now that he has returned to the diamond, he has a few simple plans for his senior season.
"You always try to set some type of goal as a hitter and a fielder," said Horwath. "It's to the point now where my goals are to just play aggressive and be a leader on and off the field. It's not really about stats anymore. The coaches have talked to me about that and have said to me `with your swing you should be hitting .350.' But I just want to play hard and be a team captain for this program."
For someone who was close to hanging up his cleats for 2007, playing hard should not be a problem, especially after the eventful journey he took just to compete for UCF.
"Baseball has been my life," said Horwath. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else."